On September 2, 2023, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, 24-year-old Taylor Blaha received a 50-year prison sentence. She admitted to drowning her newborn child after a home birth, amidst worries about child services finding methamphetamine in the child’s system.
Taylor Blaha was initially charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, reducing her sentence to 50 years. She might be eligible for parole after 35 years. The baby’s father, Brandon Thoma, received a similar sentence for his role in the tragic event.
Originally, both Blaha and Thoma, 31, planned to give the baby to Blaha’s sister. However, after hearing the baby cry, they tragically chose to drown the infant in a bathtub. The baby’s body is still missing, even after extensive searches near the Kenyon Road Bridge.
More details emerged about the event. Because Blaha delivered the newborn while under the influence of methamphetamine, used for her pain, the couple feared the baby had the drug in her system. Fearing the repercussions of their drug use and possible intervention by child services, Blaha and Thoma wrapped the baby and hid it in a backpack. Security footage showed Thoma with the backpack.
The baby’s name was Kayleen. During the investigation, text messages revealed Thoma’s efforts to hide the body near the mentioned bridge.
Blaha told the court that her boyfriend convinced her that that social services would take her son away if they found she was using drugs. Blaha said Friday morning. “He convinced me that the only way out of this was to drown the baby in the bathtub.”
Thoma, who was first charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty to other charges such as child endangerment resulting in death and abusing a corpse.
